[SPORTS ★★]
YALE UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL WINS ITS FIRST NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME EVER
(P1) SOPHOMORE guard Makai Mason (above, left) exploded for 31 points to PROPEL Yale University past Baylor University and into the second round of the NCAA TOURNAMENT for the first time in program history.
(P2) Playing in MARCH MADNESS for the first time since 1962, Yale entered the game as a #12-SEED and five-point UNDERDOG against Baylor. The Bulldogs shot 53% from the field, compared to Baylor’s 44%, and they out-REBOUNDED the Bears, 36-32. Yale also hit 22 of 29 FREE THROWS, while Baylor struggled from the line, hitting nine of 15.
(P3) But the real story was Mason, a sophomore from Greenfield, MA who carried his team DOWN THE STRETCH. Mason hit all 11 of his free throw attempts, including numerous CLUTCH shots with under two minutes remaining.
(P4) Yale’s regular season, during which they finished 19-1, was OVERSHADOWED by CONTROVERSY surrounding former team captain Jack Montague. Montague was EXPELLED from the school for ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULT midway through the season.
(P5) Montague was sighted at Yale’s NCAA game. He is reportedly suing the school for wrongfully expelling him.
WORDS: 182
SOURCE: http://www.businessinsider.com/yale-beats-baylor-march-madness-makai-mason-31-points-2016-3
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- The annual NCAA college basketball tournament known as March Madness features 68 teams and is one of the most popular sporting events in the U.S. What are the most popular sporting events in your country?
- Have you ever been to a basketball game?
- Did you play any TEAM SPORTS when you were young? Which ones?
- Why do young male ATHLETES often get into trouble?
- Yale is one of the best universities in the U.S. What are the best universities in your country?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- March Madness
- Free throw
- Down the stretch
- Sexual assault
- Team sport
